


burn the disco down (and hang the blessed dj)

by phoenix_inthe_fire



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 20:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14027976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix_inthe_fire/pseuds/phoenix_inthe_fire
Summary: Based on Black Mirror's Hang the DJOr: Kara feels like shes waited her whole life for Lena and she's not going to let some stupid system take her away.





	burn the disco down (and hang the blessed dj)

**Author's Note:**

> I love Supercorp and I love Black Mirror. There's no other explanation here.  
> @phoenix-inthe-fire.tumblr.com

Kara Danvers shifts nervously in the soft leather seat of a swanky restaurant. She checks her watch, two minutes from 8pm, when her suggested pair would be arriving. It was nerve wracking to be about to meet a potential match but the system raved of it’s 99.8% match making capability and she saw how happy all the other couples were at the meetings. So she’d signed up and now here she was.

Waiting. Nervous. Excited.

“Coach, how much longer?” Kara finds herself asking her personalized assistant. It was apart of the system, so she could record her responses and opinions to better her profile. It also let her know how long she’d be with her suggested pair.

“Not long,” The English accented voice says, “8pm is the meet time.”

Kara sighs, pulls the sleeves of her soft pink cashmere sweater over her hands. It’s two minutes later that someone is entering her line of sight.

It’s a woman and she’s beautiful in her sleek black dress and her eyes are a bright green that Kara gets stuck in. So much so that her knee bangs the table in her haste to stand up.

“H-hi, hi I’m Kara.” Her hand shoots out, a little clammy with the smile this woman rewards her. All teeth and faint dimples and Kara feels her heart thrum solidly in her chest.

“Lena,” The woman says, cupping her palm around Kara’s with soft gentle hands and long fingers.

They stay like that for a second, staring into each other’s eyes dumbly and shaking hands but then Kara is remembering the setting so she pulls her hand free jerkily. She gestures at Lena’s side of the booth awkwardly.

“Sit, sit,” Kara says, sitting herself. Her face feels like it’s stuck in a permanent smile and she wonders what the odds are of finding her perfect pair on the first try.

“We should check,” Lena says, eyes sparkling. She pulls out her coach, nervous anticipation bubbling between them like she thinks Kara might be her perfect pair too.

“Yeah, yes, let’s check,” Kara says, pulling coach from her purse, she leans forward, catches a whiff of Lena’s sweet perfume and hopes with everything in her that the expiration date on this isn’t any time soon.

“Okay, 1, 2, 3,” Lena calls out slowly, dragging it out though Kara can hear the excitement in her voice too.

12 hours.

Kara frowns.

Lena lets out a small disappointed, “Oh.”

Kara pushes her glasses up, “That seems, kind of short,”

“Yeah,” Lena agrees sadly.

Kara wonders if the system is flawed. She feels like they have so much to explore, so much to learn about the other. A 12 hour expiration date feels like it’s nowhere near enough time. She almost says something, wonders if Lena will just stay longer than the 12 hours but then it’s like the security guard nearby heads her thoughts because he sends a scathing glare her way, fingers wrapping around his holstered taser.

Kara averts her gaze quickly. She doesn’t get to dwell on it too long before her dates catching her attention again, everything in the room but her disappearing.

Lena’s eyes are sparkling as she waves a hand to call their meal. “Better hurry then.” She says mischievously.

Kara grins, heart fluttering in her chest. The waiter places a piece of steak in front of her and she’s so caught up in her watering mouth over it to notice what gets put in front of Lena. Until she catches the smell.

“Ew what is that?” Kara questions, peering at Lena’s plate with a squint. It looks like vegetables and Kara sees no meat, sees too much green.

Lena smiles, a touch fond as she raises a delicate eyebrow. “Kale.”

Kara grimaces, “Aw, I’m sorry. Do you want some of my steak? Maybe they can send it back, I know there’s like rules but-”

Lena’s hand is warm and gentle as she touches Kara’s wrist. “It’s fine. I actually like kale.” Then she laughs at the look on Kara’s face. “It’s good you should try it.”

Kara can’t say no to her and Lena laughs the whole time she chews. She’d eat a million bunches of kale just to keep hearing the sound. “Kale is gross.” She practically pouts but a smile works its way on her face anyway.

Lena raises a playful eyebrow, “Kale is good for you, gives you energy.” And then she winks and Kara flushes from head to toe, wonders how in the hell they only get 12 hours.

-

The house they get driven to after their ride through the park is quaint and charming. Kara’s a little nervous at the double bed, wonders if they’re just meant to go at it. She can’t remember the last person she’d had sex with but she hopes she has some type of skill.

“I can sleep on the couch,” Lena says, an eyebrow lifted as she runs her hand along all the appliances. It’s her first time being paired on the system too and Kara is suddenly comforted at the the fact they’re both floundering for the next step.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kara responds quickly, “The bed is big enough for both us.”

Lena’s smile is radiant as she looks at Kara over her shoulder. “Okay.”

Kara swallows thickly, heart pounding in her chest.

  
-

They lay in the bed beside each other, both quiet and a little sad that their 12 hours is coming to a close. Lena’s hand is warm and reassuring in hers, the smell of her perfume wafting in the air. Kara wants to fall asleep, she’s so comfortable, but she wants to memorize every inch of Lena’s face more.

“Everything happens for a reason right?” Lena whispers between them, like she can read Kara’s mind, like their on the same wavelength already.

Kara thinks the system has to be flawed, because Lena makes her feel alive, like she signed up for this system just to be brought to her, but she doesn’t say that outloud, just squeezes Lena’s hand back tightly. “Yeah.” She sighs, “It has to.”

-

“You could have got it you know,” Lena says cheekily, their hands barely hanging on by their fingertips as their counters click down the last 60 seconds.

Kara gapes, surprised and a little embarrassed that her train of thought has been said aloud, but laughs all the same. “You tell me this now, with 10 seconds left.” She says wryly, a fond smile on her face at the way Lena shrugs impishly, a coy smile on her face.

“Just saying is all,” Lena says, but then the timer beeps and their hands disengage and Kara already feels her absence keenly.

“Bye Lena,” Kara says, leaves everything between them and hopes that this stupid system knows what it’s doing.

“Bye Kara,” Lena says with just the same feeling.

-

“I just don’t get it coach,” Kara laments as she paints away at a canvas. It’s unsurprisingly Lena’s portrait looking right back at her. “She was perfect.”

“Would you like to post a review? Each-”

“Pair gets me closer to the perfect one, yeah I know.” Kara sighs, feels irrationally angry and if her eyes could set things a blaze, Coach would be an insignificant scorch mark by now. She doesn’t even get to be angry for that much longer before coach is beeping.

“Another match already?” Kara asks, clearly displeased.

“Yes,” Coach responds, “Each pairing brings you closer to the perfect match.”

-

James is kind and very attractive and when they check their expiration dates it says 9 months.

Kara is surprised at this, wonders briefly how she and this man got more time than she and Lena. But she has to trust the system, hopes maybe it’ll bring her back to Lena. The sex between her and James is good and for a moment she thinks she does trust the system wholly but then James sighs a little too hard, holds her a little too tight and she misses Lena all over again.

-

Kara runs into her again at a mandatory meeting 4 months later, where another couple tells them to trust the system, reminds them that everything happens for a reason. But Kara only half listens because Lena is standing at the desserts table, her nose scrunched up at all the sugar in front of her and Kara leaves James mid sentence to go to her.

“Hey,” Lena greets when she looks up, a grin on her face that shows all her teeth and dimples.

Kara feels everything around her screech to a halt, “Hi.” She winds up whispering.

Lena smiles at her fondly, “I didn’t think I’d see you again,” She says but the way she says it makes Kara think she had every hope to run into her again too.

“Well here I am.” Kara says, a smile on her lips already, “How are you?”

Lena sighs, the light in her eyes dimming and Kara’s reaching out to cup her hand on instinct. “I’ve been better.” Lena winds up saying but Kara knows her eyes already, knows that they’re hiding secrets.

James chooses that moment to reach them, his presence tall and looming as he sips his drink. “Hey,” He greets Lena, a hand coming to rest on the small of Kara’s back.

Kara almost flinches away.

Lena looks him up and down, an eyebrow raised and Kara feels her cheeks flush at the way Lena simply discards him. She offers him a simple nod before refocusing completely on Kara.

“How are you?” Lena asks instead of exchanging pleasantries with him.

Kara feels pressured with James’ hand on her back and Lena's fingers intertwined desperately with hers. “I’m- I’m okay.” She manages to stumble out.

Lena looks all too knowing, a small dim smile on her face as she squeezes Kara’s hand again. The crowds start to break away and James hand gets insistent.

“Until next time, Kara.” Lena says, almost solemn as she gives Kara’s hand another squeeze.

“Until next time.” Kara returns and if she looks repeatedly over her shoulder until Lena is out of her sight, James sure doesn’t comment on it.

-

The next 5 months pass in a blur. She stops letting James touch her after the night she sees Lena again and though he seems confused, he also looks relieved. They pass the time in mostly silence and it feels like a burden is lifted from her chest when the last minute starts to tick down.

They’re out in the front, like Kara had stood with Lena all those months ago. Kara fidgets in anticipation. James just watches her in amusement.

“We had a good run right?” James asks, a small smile on his face.

Kara feels a little guilty. She had enjoyed her time with him yes, but what she felt for him was relatively nothing in comparison to what she felt for Lena. “Yeah, sure.” She offers him with a shrug.

It passifies him and they pass the last 10 seconds in silence. Their timers beep and James steps forward like he wants a hug but Kara is already taking five steps back to her ride.

“Bye James,” Kara spits out quickly before she’s practically fleeing. James looks unbothered by her dismissal and merely walks to his own ride.

-

“Coach? Who’s next?”

-

Kara gets a stream of one nights after her nine months with James.

Nothing more than 36 hours. She goes through 5 guys in as many weeks and she loses her faith in the system. She has fun with the guys she encounters but after a while she checks out completely. It gets boring and repetitive and she wants her perfect pair. She thinks about Lena on more than one occasion and wonders how she is, if she has anything more than the quick flings Kara finds herself with.

She gets her answer sooner than she expects.

-

Lena looks radiant when she meets Kara at their table but her grin is wide, almost relieved.

“Is this-“ Kara looks around, a small smile blooming on her face as her heart rate picks up, “Is it you? Coach is this right?”

There’s a beat of silence where Lena sits and Kara is too frozen by her hope to move. Then, “That is correct.”

Kara releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“I didn’t think we’d get paired again,” Lena says but she doesn’t sound disappointed, if anything she sounds relieved. “I’m so glad we did.” She says like she’s telling a secret.

“Me too,” Kara breathes, “I’ve had so many flings I’ve started to lose faith- It’s- I probably shouldn’t say that. It’s just, I’ve had nothing longer than 36 hours after James and it’s annoying just knowing it’s sex and nothing more.” For a second Kara is embarrassed that she’s shared all of this but Lena’s face holds not an ounce judgement.

If anything she looks understanding as she reaches across the table to grab one of Kara’s flailing hands. “I understand,” Lena says solemnly, “it’s not any better when it’s longer. It’s like being a prisoner counting the time until it’s over.”

There’s a moment of silence where they’re both reflective and glad to be where they are. Kara wonders briefly if the system does know what it’s doing. She suddenly has to know how long they have. If this is it. She’s pulling coach out again before she even realizes.

“We should check. See how long-“

“No,” Lena says quickly, tugging on their still connected hands, “No can we- can we just make a deal to not check? I’ve just spent the last year watching a clock tick down. I don’t want to know anymore.” Her voice is pleading, her eyes a little wider and Kara couldn’t say no even if she tried.

“Okay,” Kara says, slightly defeated as she puts coach back.

“Promise?” Lena urges, eyes still a little wide.

Kara swallows, “I promise.”

-

“Isn’t it weird,” Lena begins as they step into the little home that is theirs until their expiration date, “That they all look alike?”

Kara had indeed found that weird but she’d always been a little more preoccupied with her partner at the moment to think too much of it.

Lena apparently had no qualms about openly talking about it. She’s shrugging off her jacket with ease as Kara follows behind her, “You’d think with the system being so complex they’d be able to make the homes more personalized.” She turns to survey the bed, her hands on her hips and Kara sees her opportunity.

She shrugs off her jacket too, walks silently behind Lena until she can wrap her arms around her waist, rest her chin on Lena’s shoulder.

Lena gives a little jolt of surprise but settles easily, tugging Kara’s arms around her tighter. They stay like that for a second before Lena’s spinning around in her arms, that impish smile back again. Kara’s already answering with a grin before Lena’s even spoken.

“We should get to it,” Lena says, eyes darkened a bit as her fingers come up to play with the folded collar of Kara’s dress shirt. “Never know how much time we have.” She says almost playfully.

Kara feels her heart stutter but doesn’t feel an ounce of nerves. “Of course. Could be ten minutes.”

Lena shrugs as her fingers start to unbutton her shirt. “Could be five even, you just never know these things.”

Kara feels time hang over them, decides if she only gets Lena for 12 hours again she’ll make sure every second of them leaves her ingrained in Lena’s memory forever, the same way she is seared into Kara’s. She grabs Lena’s hands gently, guides them until Lena’s back is hitting a sturdy wall.

Kara’s fallen into that bed too many times already, it’s all the same, but here with Lena feels different, so she’ll do different. She brushes her lips across Lena’s once, fleeting and a tease before she’s sinking to her knees and hiking up Lena’s dress.

“Can you last five minutes, Lena?”

-

They learn each other’s bodies well into the morning and when they lay on the bed next to each other with no barriers between, Kara feels whole in a way she hasn’t since their first pairing.

Lena reaches idly at her collarbone while Kara watches her transfixed. “You’re really good with your mouth.”

Kara snorts, flushes all the way down to the top of her chest. “Thank you?” She squeaks.

Lena sighs dreamily and snuggles closer, “No I should be thanking you, honestly.”

Kara smiles down at the mess of dark hair spilling over her chest fondly. “I think someone needs some sleep.”

Lena laughs at first, quiet and a bit drowsy, but then she’s looking at Kara with crystal clear eyes. “I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep and wake up to a timer.”

“Yeah,” Kara breathes, chest clenched tight, “Me too.” She pulls Lena closer at the mere thought of losing her again. It sparks something nasty in her, something primal and she swears she’d go against this system if it dared to tear them apart again.

“But it’s okay,” Lena says, right on the edge of sleep because her eyes have closed again and she is perfectly tucked into Kara’s body. “Cuz you’re here and I’m sure you’re it.”

Kara can’t bring herself to fall asleep.

-

“Pancakes or waffles?”

Kara pushes her glasses up her nose, says very seriously, “Yes.”

Lena snorts, shakes her head fondly as she starts the waffle iron and pancakes too. “I don’t get how you have such a figure with how much you eat.”

Kara comes up behind her, rests her chin on Lena’s shoulder, “I get plenty exercise with you.” She says cheekily.

Lena squawks indignantly, shoving an elbow into Kara’s ribs that Kara barely feels.

Kara wants to do this every morning for the rest of her life.

-

“Can I give you a bubble beard?” Lena is almost shy as she asks, up to her collarbones in bubbles herself.

Kara almost doesn’t hear her at first, too busy staring at the water clinging to her throat and soaking some of her hair into tight curls at the base of her neck. She’s a vision like this and Kara almost wants to drag her back to their bed where they’d already spent the morning.

“I’d be honored,” Kara says with a lopsided grin. She leans forward and stays very still as Lena gets to work. Her tongue pokes out of her mouth and Kara can’t hold this feeling in her chest anymore, the _love_ she can feel almost bursting at the seems. She leans forward abruptly, claiming Lena's lips in hers.

Lena squeals a little in surprise, displeased at her destroyed bubble beard but she settles into Kara easily, without thinking. They kiss slow and languid for a while but eventually Lena pulls herself free, gets out of the tub completely much to Kara’s displeasure.

“I have to make sure the food doesn’t burn,” Lena squeals her laughter as she bats away Kara’s grabby hands, “You’re getting pruned anyway.”

Kara watches her leave with a smitten smile but then her eyes catch on Lena’s coach, sitting ominously on the toilet. For a moment Kara contemplates getting up and checking, to see how long they have. But then she remembers her promise. She leans back in the tub and sinks beneath the water until her whole face is submerged.

She doesn’t come back up until she stops thinking about it. It isn’t until her lungs scream for air.

-

Lena’s arm feels nice tucked into the crook of hers. They’re taking a slow stroll through the park, chatting idly and laughing and poking at one another as they go. Kara hasn’t felt so comfortable with another human being in as long as she can remember.

“But what if it’s not true?” Lena rambles on, trying to bait Kara into an argument if the impish smile on her face is anything to go by. “What if they’re just throwing us with random people until we get all worn down and just eventual settle with whoever they say is our perfect match?”

Kara stares at her for a beat. She knows Lena is half kidding, more playfully mocking the system than she is serious. But Kara can’t imagine ever settling with someone who isn’t Lena. Settling isn’t even the word she would use. Lena is everything she never knew she wanted and none of her other pairs have ever held a candle to her that much is a fact.

“Okay,” Kara drawls, “But how about this?” Lena looks excited that Kara is playing along, a little expectant too like she can’t wait to hear what Kara’s got to say. “The Systems super complex right? Let’s say it’s as good as it says it is. It develops a complex profile and gets all your reactions, all your thoughts, your fears, your dreams, every thought you’ve ever had. So does that mean it thinks too? Like it is you?”

Lena laughs, more a find guffaw than anything, plays with the lapels of Kara’s jacket, “Oh come on, next you’re going to say it’s us and we’re in a simulation or something.”

Kara wiggles her eyebrows, “Maybe we are.”

Lena pinches her side and Kara yelps a laugh. “I don’t think you’d have felt that, babe, if you were a simulation.” She darts away after she says it, tugging playfully on Kara’s jacket once before she does.

Kara grins after her, “I could have been programmed to say that you know!”

-

It’s been 4 months and Kara is restless. She’s enjoyed every minute she has with Lena but she only falls more in love and the more she falls in love the more terrified she becomes of them running out of time. It’s like she’s constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and it’s slowly driving her mad.

It keeps her up at night, when Lena is safe and warm and tucked into her chest, the thought of losing this precious woman. It’s after night three of sleep evading her that Kara carefully extricates herself from Lena’s grip.

“Coach,” Kara whispers, creeping into the kitchen quietly, “I have to know.” She’s mildly delirious, mildly panicked, extremely scared. It’s a recipe for disaster.

“Know what?” Coach asks dutifully.

Kara sits heavily on one of the bar stools, knees too shaky to hold herself anymore. “How long do me and Lena have?”

Coach doesn’t respond for a long moment.

Kara frowns. “You’re not going to talk me out of it?” Coach had always been a stickler for rules, Kara was surprised she wasn’t getting a speech already.

“Would you like me to talk you out of it?” Coach asks evenly.

“Yes, no- no. I don’t know.” Kara says in confused frustration. Her hand winds into her hair, a messy bun she’d thrown up mainly because it got in her way when she went down on Lena before they went to bed but she’s thankful for it now. She feels the beginnings of a cold sweat, something like dread in her belly, pushing and pushing but she doesn’t know to what.

Her coach beeps, shows the tap to reveal screen. The only thing keeping her from knowing their expire date and settling this unease in her chest. Kara has never felt more conflicted in her life.

“No, no,” Kara shakes her head like she’s trying to physically rid the thought from her brain, “I promised.” She says absently but it’s late into the night and she hasn’t slept properly in days and the fear of losing Lena has such a tight grip on her chest that her finger is pressing to the screen before she can even realize she’s done it.

5 years.

Kara feels a slow grin bloom over her face. It wasn’t forever sure but who’s to say the five years wouldn’t take them straight to their naming ceremony where’d they’d be permanently bound. Her joy and elation only lasts for two seconds flat before her coach is beeping. Kara taps at the screen in confusion, feels ice chill her veins when she sees the ‘recalibrating’ on the screen and in a blink the 5 years is flashing to 3.

“No no no,” Kara whispers, getting up quickly to get outside of the house lest she wake Lena with the loud blaring. “Coach what’s happening? Coach why’s it getting shorter?”

“One sided observation has destabilized the expiry date.”

More blaring as it recalibrates again.

“What?” Kara asks, eyes wide in horror.

“One sided observation has destabilized the expiry date.”

18 months.

“Because I looked at it on my own it changes the date?” Kara questions incredulously, her heart hammering in her chest she can hear blood rushing in her ears.

“That is correct.” Coach responds dutifully, before it’s blaring it’s recalibration again.

“Well undo it!” Kara balks at the new screen.

2 months.

“I cannot do that.”

“What if she looks at it?”

“Once shortened, expiry date cannot be extended.”

3 weeks.

“Why?” Kara asks in horror, eyes glossing with tears and if she’s talking to coach or some higher power she has no idea anymore.

“Everything happens for a reason.”

5 days.

“Make it stop! Stop it!” Kara almost yells, ice in her veins and her throat constricting.

“It will stabilize eventually.”

20 hours.

It finally stops and begins to tick down.

Kara throws up right there in the grass.

-

Kara watches the sunrise with unseeing eyes. It doesn’t even look the same to her anymore now that she’s ruined a good thing.

Lena wakes behind her, coming up slowly and wrapping her arms around Kara’s waist from behind like Kara’s done to her so many times. Her head is solid as it rests against Kara’s spine.

Kara almost draws blood from her lip she bites it so hard to keep from crying.

-

Her mood is palpable and eventually it dampers Lena’s too. They’re walking through the mall and Lena finally grows tired of her attitude, dropping her hand with a scoff and walking ahead of her.

Kara is powerless to stop her. She wishes it could be different but all they have is a few hours and Lena doesn’t even know it. How can Kara be happy when she’s about to lose her?

-

Lena finally stops in front of her, face completely devoid of any kind of happiness. “Seriously what’s wrong?”

Kara doesn’t feel like saying ‘nothing’ again, like she had all morning. She gets the feeling Lena wouldn’t believe her anyway. “I looked.” She says, eyes on the ground.

“Looked at what?” Lena’s eyebrows are arched, like she knows what Kara is going to say but she wants her to repeat herself just to be sure.

Kara can’t bring herself to say it.

Lena looks betrayed. “You promised.”

Kara hates the way her heart absolutely breaks. “Don’t you want to know what it said?”

“No,” Lena says loudly, “That was the point.”

“It’s not like there’s much time left anyway,” Kara says defeatedly, adjusting her glasses on her nose.

Lena stops cold. “How much left?”

“Like an hour.”

Lena is silent for a while and Kara watches the emotions play across her face, feeling each one as intently as her own. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Lena finally settles on.

“I didn’t want to ruin your day.” Kara admits quietly. It’s only partly true. The other part is the fact that she ruined everything, that the shortened time was her own fault and the guilt was almost eating her alive. She couldn’t deal with Lena’s disappointment or anger on top of already feeling like the worst person in the world.

“And this hasn’t ruined it?” Lena asks incredulously, her voice raising in pitch.

Kara winces. “It was supposed to be five years…” She says sullenly, “But I looked at it and something happened and it started counting down.”

Lena's hands come up to tangle in her hair in distress. “So _you_ broke it?”

“No! I- I don’t know.” Kara shrugs defensively, eyes glossing with tears as her worst fears play out in front of her.

“Why’d you have to go and check it? Wasn’t just spending the time together enough?” Lena whispers in anguish, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Because I love you okay?” Kara finally snaps, her chest lightening with the confession but only for a split moment before all the pain comes back again. “Because I love you and I don’t want this _stupid system_ taking you away from me. Not again. Not ever.”

Lena swallows thickly, eyes a storm of emotions. “You promised.” She says almost vacantly.

Kara feels the beginning swells of anger in her chest. “Yes, Lena. I broke a promise and I’m sorry but it seems like you’re more worried about that then how much time we have together.”

“Yes because we agreed!” Lena sobs, her hands coming up to slap at Kara’s biceps.

Kara’s sure her heart will splinter from her chest soon, walk right away alongside Lena when she inevitably leaves. “Listen, we can overcome this okay? We'll just- ignore it. We’ll just ignore the system okay. Just you and me.” She says desperately, taking a few steps closer so they're almost toe to toe.

“And do what?” Lena sighs roughly, voice thick with tears but there’s a resignation in her voice, like she’s already accepted defeat. It shreds what’s left of Kara’s heart.

Kara cups her cheeks, a last ditch effort to win her back, “We’ll just go. We’ll just climb the wall and go.”

“There’s nothing out there.” Lena responds stubbornly, not quite shaking her off but not leaning into her touch either.

“How do you know?” Kara asks just as stubbornly. “How do you know?”

Lena's eyes go unfocused, staring at something just over Kara’s shoulder before she’s pulling away. “You’ve ruined this.” She whispers blankly.

Kara is suddenly keenly aware of all the paired couples staring at them. She hears faint crackles of electricity and sees a security guard glaring at her flatly. “Lena…” She pleads brokenly.

“Don’t follow me.”

-

“Everything happens for a reason.”

Kara is sitting against the bed of their shared home that feels emptier than the hole in her chest, tears falling freely down her face. “What reason?”

“The system will be assessing your reaction to the painful premature termination of a treasured relationship and will adjust and improve its profile of your eventual chosen one accordingly.”

Kara scoffs, sniffles as her coach is clouded with her tears. “You’re a great comfort.”

“Thank you.”

Kara feels anger well in her chest, squeezing coach tightly in her grip and she hopes it’ll crack. She wants to squeeze the voice from it because it’s keeping her and Lena apart and if they never had an expiration date in the first place she would have never looked and she’s sobbing in earnest before she realizes. “I swear to God I should just scale the wall- I should just climb it and jump into the fucking wilderness.”

“That would contravene the rules of the system.”

“Oh the fucking system.” Kara snarls, finally feeling the tethers of her sanity snapping.

“Failure to comply with the system may result in banishment.”

Kara breathes deeply, her sobs tapering off and the numbness finally settling in again. “I know,” She says softly, resigned, voice hoarse from all her crying, “Just- can I be angry? Can I have that at least?”

Coach waits a beat and then, “You must vacate your current living quarters when the time expires.”

Kara chucks coach across the room and let’s herself cry again.

Alone.

Missing Lena.

Again.

-

Kara remains matchless for two weeks. She prefers being alone with her silence than having someone else occupying her space. Her wounds were still too raw to even think about being paired again.

But alas the system has a job so her coach is chiming with a new match before she’s ready for it. Her next pairing is so startlingly similar to Lena that she almost cries on the spot.

Her name is Lauren and her eyes are green and her hair is black but her green is wrong and her voice is lower, her body different. Their expiration date is 24 hours and it’s a comfort.

-

“We could have had five years,” Kara is saying, lost somewhere in a thought, “But then I had to go and look and ruined it. She was-“ She jolts a little, looks down at Lauren’s head between her thighs. “Oh. Already?”

“Yeah,” Lauren says with a small laugh, “My jaw was starting to ache.”

“Sorry, lets get it on then.”

-

“And even after all of that, never once did she apologize,” Lauren kind of gasps beneath her, one of her hands wrapped tightly around the wrist that Kara is using to hold herself up.

Kara frowns, hand still working between Lauren’s thighs as she tops. “What? Not even once?”

“No!” Lauren says pointedly, “See even you get it.”

Kara stops for a second, leans back on her haunches and Lauren looks relieved. She’d lost track of how long they’d been attempting to have sex but kept talking about their previous pair instead. “Do you mind if I think of her?” She asks hesitantly. It’d be so easy, to squint her eyes and just pretend.

Lauren bites her lip, “Only if I can do the same?” She asks with wide eyes.

“Deal.”

-

“Well,” Lauren says as they wait outside for the timer to tick down. “It was nice meeting you. I really hope everything works out with you and Lena. If not then just fuck the system, ya know? I’m thinking about it myself.”

Kara nods seriously, presses a kiss to Lauren’s cheek as the last ten seconds tick down. “I hope the same for you and Camila.”

-

She doesn’t get a match after Lauren and it gives her much too much time to think. So when coach says she’s finally ready for her pairing ceremony and gets to say goodbye to one person only, she says Lena before coach even finishes speaking.

They’re set to meet at a restaurant and Kara doesn’t even bother getting changed, just goes there in jeans and a henley. She’s antsy the whole time, eyes bouncing all over the bright red exit signs over the doors, the security armed with tasers and looking mean.

But it all melts away when she sees Lena. She walks in in a rush and Kara gets up and kisses her.

Lena laughs breathlessly, “Hello to you too.”

“I’ve been paired,” Kara says, hands cupping Lena’s cheeks as she lowers her voice, “But Lena _I love you_ and I don’t want anyone else. Please run away with me. I’m sorry for looking after I promised but I was so scared to lose you. I won’t lose you again.”

Lena’s eyes shine bright with her tears, a war behind her eyes before she’s leaning up and kissing Kara again. “Okay. Lets go we have to be quick.”

Kara’s heart pounds in her ears, eyes wide behind her glasses. “You’re serious?”

Lena rolls her eyes fondly. “Of course you idiot. I love you too.”

Kara doesn’t think she’s ever felt so much happiness. She tugs Lena’s hand so they can leave and it’s like everyone has figured them out. They all stop to stare and a security guard steps in front of them, taser at the ready.

Lena clings tight to Kara’s back but she isn’t scared. “Get the fuck out of our way.” She hisses.

Kara peers at her in mild shock, almost tripping over her own feet when everything seems to pause. The security guard’s hand stays suspended in air, taser flashing blue but not making a sound. The whole restaurant has gone still. Lena urges her forward.

They run all the way to the wall and Kara doesn’t know why she feels so scared because no one is chasing them but all she knows is she’ll brave any cost to keep Lena with her. The fear falls away as they ascend the ladder and then everything is shifting in front of her, pixelating away until it’s just her and Lena.

And more her and Lenas.

She looks around in disbelief at a crowd of other pairs, some of them are dressed different, but they’re all them. They start to vanish one by one, dissolving into the air but Kara isn’t scared. She grabs Lena’s hand, unafraid as long as they’re together.

And then they disintegrate into dust too.

-

Kara Danvers thinks this app is fucking stupid. She’d made it while she was drunk and crying because all of her friends were coupled off and her sister was getting _married_ and she just felt so _alone_.

She’d had no response from it so far and of course it decides to ding right in the middle of a bar. She twists her nose ring in mild irritation, a habit she’s had ever since it’s healed.

Alex hates it right along with the red streaks in her hair and tattoos but Kara’s never really cared about what anyone thinks about her appearance. It’s why she’s wearing fishnets and shorts in the middle of a bar, suspenders over a white tank top and a red beanie to match her lips.

Kara frowns down at her phone.

99.8% match. _Tap to reveal._

Kara does of course.

_Lena._

The picture is of a green eyed woman, with heavy liner and crazy wild hair and Kara thinks that maybe the app isn’t bullshit.

Especially when she looks up and catches Lena’s eye. For a moment Lena looks surprised at seeing her across the bar, a beer bottle half way paused to her lips. She raises an eyebrow, pierced Kara can see it from here, her smile as challenging as it is enticing.

Kara feels like she’s known her forever. She smirks as she pockets her phone, feet carrying her confidently over to this women who’s supposed to be her 99.8% match. She doesn’t bother sitting, just gets close enough to whisper in Lena’s ear over the music.

“What do you say we get out of here and see just how much 99.8% of a match means?”

Lena laughs, the sound so familiar and pleasing that Kara is almost surprised. “If you think you can handle it.” She says impishly, brushing past Kara teasingly as she goes to settle her tab at the bar.

Kara watches her go, half stunned and arousal growing by the moment, but it’s something else too and she can’t wait to figure it out.

_Burn down the disco_  
_Hang the blessed DJ_  
_Because the music that they constantly play_  
_It says nothing to me about my life_  
_Hang the blessed DJ_

 


End file.
